In this episode of The Brownstone Show, Jeffrey Tucker interviews Tom Harrington, author of Staying Human in a Soulless Age, for a deep exploration of how the state has always relied on private sector collaboration for power—not just through taxes and debt, but through mercantilist alliances that shape society. From Frédéric Bastiat’s observation that the state has no resources of its own to the munitions industries of WWI (”Merchants of Death”), they trace this model through history and into the 21st century.
The COVID period stands as the ultimate example: tech companies enabling censorship, pharma driving novel gene technologies, media amplifying fear, and figures like Tomas Pueyo (CEO of an online learning platform) profiting enormously from lockdowns. They discuss the invasion of bodies and minds by technocracy, the destruction of social rituals (especially death rituals and adolescent socialization), the hedonic treadmill of digital “time-saving” tools, and the simplification vs. synthesis crisis in modern thinking and academia.
Harrington emphasizes the importance of intuition, dialogue, encounters, and rituals for human flourishing, while Tucker highlights growing resistance—from flock cameras to data centers. This conversation calls for recovering genuine human connections amid soulless systems.
Key Topics Covered:
Frédéric Bastiat: The state has no resources of its own; everything comes from the private sector
Historical state-private collaboration: Mercantilism, WWI munitions (”Merchants of Death”), and the warfare state
COVID as technocratic pinnacle: Tomas Pueyo, Big Tech censorship, pharma, media, and profit-driven lockdowns
The hedonic treadmill: Technology promising more time but delivering distraction and dehumanization
Destruction of rituals: Death rituals, adolescent flirting/socialization, and their role in human development
Academic silos, simplification vs. synthesis, and the loss of holistic, intuitive thinking
Surveillance state: Flock cameras, biometric data, eminent domain for AI data centers
Staying Human in a Soulless Age: Reclaiming dialogue, encounters, and meaning in a fiat culture
Growing popular resistance and the potential turning point against technocracy
Tom Harrington brings decades of observation on power, culture, and the human condition. Jeffrey Tucker connects these threads to the broader fight against administrative overreach and for genuine liberty.
Essential for anyone concerned with technocracy, the erosion of human rituals and connections, the failures of COVID policy, or how to stay human in an increasingly soul crushing age.
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Tom Harrington: Author of Staying Human in a Soul Crushing Age
Drop a comment: How has the COVID era (and digital technocracy) destroyed rituals and human connections in your life? What steps can we take to "stay human" against state-private power alliances? Which historical or modern example of collaboration shocked you most?
